Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Who's vulnerable now?

Another fine example of how easy it is to talk the talk, but not so much for walking the walk ...Novak Djokovic just double-faulted on match point against Marat Safin in the second round of Wimbledon. To refresh our memories, here's what Djokovic had to say last week about his BFF, Roger Federer:"Some things are changing. I think he's a little bit shaken with that loss and mentally he has been struggling in the last couple of months. It's normal to have ups and downs after four years of absolute dominance on the men's tour. New names are coming, fresh talented players who believe more they can win against him and I am one of them. Suddenly he is worried a little bit.''Ouchie. So what happened to Novak? Well, he was outclassed by Safin, who looked completely at ease out there. The other thing might have had a touch of the Icarus complex, especially when you factor in the above comments. I suspect he did no scouting on Safin, gave very little thought to the matchup. Everyone put him in the final, and he thought he'd cruise there easily. Yes, Djokovic is a bit cocky, but this loss, I think, can be chalked up to growing pains. He'll learn from this, and I expect he'll have a heckuva summer in reply.Anyway, Ana Ivanovic just won, 10-8 in the third against Nathalie Dechy. I know, I totally saw that coming, too. How about that match point against Ivanovic that trickled over the net. OK, kids, Wimbledon is officially on!P.S.: Yes, yogahz, the candles are lit. The Shrine will be online soon. Keep your eyes open. Fellas, you might have to avert your eyes ...

Great post on Djokovic. I think you're dead on with your point on the Icarus complex. Pride cometh before a fall, as they say, and Djokovic has just become the living embodiment of it.

You might also be right about Djokovic going on to have a great summer - although I personally hope he doesn't, as I'm not really a fan. I am, however, looking forward to see how he copes with defending his points - the second half of last year was when Djokovic really took off as a big force in the game, with the win in Canada and so on and so forth. So it will be interesting, nonetheless.

(I'm Jodi, by the way. I have a tennis blog of my own and I found yours through Van's - I've enjoyed reading yours a lot!)

Hi, Jodi! Thanks for swinging by; I'll have to check out your blog. I have a lot of respect for Djokovic's game, although I know he's not very popular. I think he's got the game, but his mindset will be the big question as this year continues. Van! Think Safin will win another round? I wonder ...

My tweets

About me

If I were the president of tennis:
1. There would be no "super" tiebreaks. Until someone could explain to me what is so super about bailing out of a match early.
2. I would hire a public relations person for the WTA tour. Apparently, they don't have one.
3. No-ad scoring would go the way of stupid tiebreaks.
4. The Davis Cup would take place once a year over two weeks. If the haphazard way it's scheduled now made any sense, we'd start the Australian Open the first weekend in January and finish it sometime in December.
5. I would hire Marat Safin to be my "secretary."